Whitchurch college makes application for academy status

Staff at Sir John Talbot's Technology College in Whitchurch hope to be successful in time for the 2014/15 school year. The move would see the school have greater control over its own future.

It comes after The Marches School in Oswestry agreed to sponsor its application.

In March last year the Oswestry school was approached by Shropshire Council to provide support to Sir John Talbot's to help it improve after it had fallen into special measures. The school is currently under the control of an interim executive board (IEB) and the associate headteacher from The Marches School David O'Toole, who has been seconded to Sir John Talbot's as headteacher until August.

The IEB will now apply to the Department for Education for Sir John Talbot's to become an academy, with The Marches Academy Trust as sponsor. The leadership of Sir John Talbot's was praised by Ofsted inspectors during a monitoring visit in September.

Last summer, students made history and achieved the school's best-ever GCSE results, leading it to be named the most improved school in Shropshire in the recent 2014 GCSE league tables.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children's service, said: "After celebrating excellent GSCE results, this is more good news for Sir John Talbot's. We want SJT to become the school of choice for all 11-18-year-olds in Whitchurch and its surrounding area, and to make sure the pupils are getting the very best education opportunities possible.

"The Marches Academy Trust's application to become a sponsor for the school is a very important development in helping us to do this."

Sarah Longville, headteacher of The Marches School, said: "There is a drive nationally towards collaboration between schools and by sponsoring Sir John Talbot's, this will enable us to continue to build on these developments and provide the school with the support and stability it needs to thrive."